Scenic Highway

Scenic Drives

Scenic Byway in Colorado

The Peak to Peak Highway, a designated Scenic Byway. includes spectacular views of snow-capped peaks along the Continental Divide and access to historical mining communities with architecture from the late 1800s, such as Black Hawk and Central City.

Peak to Peak Scenic Byway:

55 miles long

From Estes Park to I-70 is about a 2 hour drive

Highest elevation 9,300 feet

It begins as CO Highway 7 in Estes Park, passes Lily Mountain and Twin Sisters, then turns south just past Allenspark on CO Highway 72, goes to Nederland where it continues south on CO Highway 119, through Blackhawk, through Clear Creek Canyon and down to I-70.

There were many gold mines along Highways 72 and 119. The mine tailings (scrap rock from the mines that was dumped down the side of the mountain) are visible from the small town of Ward down past Blackhawk. Weekend prospectors still dredge for golden flakes in the creeks. There are a few old mines along the way that allow the public to pan for gold in the creek---for a price, of course. Children find panning exciting whether they find gold or not.

This is a lovely drive, passing interesting sites and places along the way. There are many aspen stands, so it is a golden marvel in the fall.